Shrimp and Avocado Salad With Peanut Dressing

Name: Shrimp and Avocado Salad With Peanut Dressing
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 to 4 heads Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated, or 1 head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped; 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and sliced lengthwise; Salt and freshly cracked black pepper; 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1 tablespoon plus ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided; 3 scallions, thinly sliced; 1 garlic clove, minced; ½ cup roasted unsalted peanuts; 2 tablespoons white sesame seeds; 1 tablespoon honey; ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds; ¼ cup apple cider vinegar

By Ashley Lonsdale

Updated March 9, 2026

Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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Ready In: 20 min
Rating: 5(363)
Comments: Read comments

To coax out the very best flavors in nuts and spices (in this case, peanuts, sesame seeds and fennel seeds), a quick and gentle fry in extra-virgin olive oil is all that's needed. This yields a fragrant fried-peanut dressing, a testament to fat as a conductor of flavor. The crunchy dressing revolutionizes a simple salad of shrimp, sliced avocado and tender-crisp lettuce, transforming it into a much more compelling and surprisingly filling main dish. Any number of proteins — salmon, chicken or steak — could take center stage in this dish, but speedy shrimp keeps the timing under 20 minutes.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

3 to 4 heads Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated, or 1 head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and sliced lengthwise
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon plus ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup roasted unsalted peanuts
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
On a large platter, arrange lettuce leaves in an even layer. Nestle the avocado slices on and around the lettuce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Pat the shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high. Cook the shrimp for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once, until just opaque and cooked through. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Step 3
In the same pan, heat the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil over medium. Add the scallions and garlic and fry, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant and garlic is just golden. Add the peanuts, sesame seeds, honey and fennel seeds, and fry for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally, until peanuts and sesame seeds are fragrant, toasted and warmed through.
Step 4
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Add the cooled shrimp to the salad and spoon the dressing over top.